Press Room and News for Sheraton Delfina
Santa Monica Hotel

Los Angeles Confidential

Fall 2007

Kor Strength
The Kor Hotel Group is run on luxurious principles and worldly standards put in place by its accomplished president, Nicholas Clayton.

By Aarti Jhaveri

It's been 25 years since hotelier extraordinaire Nicholas Clayton, president of the Kor Hotel Group, began his relationship with the luxury hospitality industry. Armed with a finance degree, an "I'll go anywhere" attitude, and an ability to lead, Clayton cut his teeth at the Four Seasons in Dallas, Texas, focusing on leadership and management roles. "I wanted a good, solid job during that period of my life. I'd already done things on the edge and worked late hours," he explains. His next move was to the Ritz-Carlton, where he held nine different managing positions in 13 years.

Clayton's to-do list includes propelling the Tides and Viceroy brands, flagships of the Kor Hotel Group. While the leisure-focused Tides properties are located on costal wonderlands like South Beach and Playa del Carmen, Mexico, Viceroys are found in such destinations as Santa Monica and Palm Springs. "The Viceroy caters to a broader audience, while Tides is where couples go to reconnect and rejuvenate," Clayton explains. "It's more 'Let's take yoga lessons together and talk about the rest of our lives.'" Kor also oversees a range of independently branded hotels, leveraged assets that have been repositioned- "making something out of nothing," in Clayton's words. "Our upcoming projects will steal the show in their respective markets, and ultimately I'd like to hear people say, 'I remember that group before they were famous.'"